YOUR VIEWS

MY husband and I have just spent another successful holiday in Majorca, courtesy of the Protur group in Cala Bona, with whom we received great hospitality and value for money.

Whilst there, I often read the Majorca Daily Bulletin and saw articles regarding the concerns about tourism, in the future, for Majorca. So, I would comment as follows:
With the pound/euro almost at parity, and with many late holidaymakers being elderly and therefore on a pension, prices of incidentals/travel etc. are of paramount importance if we are to contribute to the local economy. Many of the businesses in tourist areas are aimed at us ie: cafes, small souvenir supermarkets, boat trips etc. but some of the prices are prohibitive if compared with the UK. For example in one such shop the price of a packet of tissues was 175% higher than in UK and other articles were equally pricey. In cafes it is not unusual to pay the equivalent of €1.40 or more for a coffee, or perhaps €3 for coffee and cake (on one occasion in the past when in Alcudia, the coffee arrived, but no cake – they had run out but we were still charged a premium price for the coffee!). Toasties, if you want one, may cost €4.50 – something we would not entertain paying in UK at a local cafe.

If you multiply these prices just for coffee by two, for a couple, and then by 28 representing twice daily purchases it soon adds up even before adding any extras and you've spent nearly €80, on non essential drinks. Products sold in souvenir shops are found almost globally now, with very little offered of a unique nature, so where are you going to buy such items? At home if you really want them and the price is cheaper.

I have no answer to this problem, but how on earth local people afford some of the prices quoted, when their income is apparently no more than say €1'000 per month is beyond me, likewise expats who have moved not just to Majorca but other sunspots. (Of course, in the past UK prices have been blamed for being too high for some to visit us as tourists, but has there been any significant increase in Mediterranean visitors to UK with the pound/euro near parity making our holidays cheaper?).

Finally, pensioners income is pretty stable generally speaking, and I am sure they are a section of the UK community who will continue to book holidays in Majorca in the future. They are perhaps your best ambassadors for extolling the pleasures to be found on your beautiful island, but their spending power once there has been eroded.

Ann
Yorkshire